Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Why do some books transition well to the screen and others do not? Is it the printed words or the screenwriter?

I enjoyed the books by JK Rowling but the detail and blather made me skip sentences, then paragraphs until the storyline returned to meaningful action. I liked them and they inhabit the shelf of honor on my antique bookcase.

But *shrug*. They were ‘okay’ and nothing more.

It’s just my opinion. Please don’t yell at me.

But how the movie series gripped me…that is a different story. The Deathly Hallows is Oscar material, fantastic special effects (always a winner with me), and stays mostly true to the books. I love all the movies without reservation.

The Deathly Hallows gave me everything it promised and more.

And then there is Twilight.

Again, this is just my opinion but I am passionate about this subject.

The Stephenie Meyer’s books dwell in my soul. There is no comparison and I will not argue with the critics. Ms. Meyer acknowledges her writing could stand some improvement. Twilight was her debut novel, after all.

And after a multitude of YA agents and writers hollered about the article by Meghan Cox Gurdon that appeared in the WSJ concerning the ‘dark side of YA’, Honey Buns I don’t even want to HEAR any fuss about family values or this-is-not-appropriate-for-kids.

To get to the point, and I do have one, the miraculous books did not transition well to the screens. In fact, I would go so far as to say they were Cee R Aaa Pee.

I have other examples of books that did or did not make the transition to the big screen but I want to hear from you.

What examples can you give of books or movies that didn’t trip your trigger?

Summertime is a busy season with reunions, vacations, and baseball. So (yes, Charity. I do use the word occasionally) no need for the above recipients to respond in kind with a Meme (cream?!). Unless you want to :)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

"Doc,” the lady said, “I'm in one heck of a hurry. The storyline for my novel exploded in my head this morning, the characters and battle scene came together, and my mind is buzzing with the protag’s newest conflicts. While the muse lives, I must write. So forget about the anesthetic, I don't have time for the gums to get numb. I just want you to pull the tooth, and be done with it so I can return to my keyboard.”

My goodness, the dentist thought. What a very brave woman she is, asking to have her tooth pulled without using painkillers. Above all else, writing must be her life.

"Which tooth is it ma’am?" the dentist asks.

The writer turned to her farmer/hubby."Open your mouth Honey, and show him."

Saturday, July 9, 2011

That July was typically hot, the growing cornfields, county fairs, watermelon, and sweat blending every summer day into the next.

The year was 1981. But it was anything but ordinary.

Downtown was empty of people, not a soul on the dusty, midday streets. But the whine and choking growl that came from a pickup engine, throttle pushed to the floorboards by a dead man’s foot, made up for the lack of people. The sound permeated the air, building into coughing fits of oil and carburetor until the motor couldn’t take it any longer. Pistons seized and the motor block cracked.

And it was just as dead as the man who sat behind the wheel.

A scene from Hollywood?

Nope.

Called vigilante justice at the time, the so-called bully of the town lost his life in broad daylight that hot summer day. But there were no convictions, no arrests. No witnesses even though moments before the shotgun blast tore through the back window of the pickup truck, a group of people had gathered to escort the bully out of town.

Thirty years have passed to the day.

Whispers behind hands, grim faces nod and shrug with tales of who took the shots and how the guns were disposed. But deep wells abound in this farming community, too many to count. How can anyone search them all?

It is a mystery that no one around here wants solved, the day a community fought back and ended a man’s life.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Contests galore on our writerly blogs and sites for July. Savvy Authors has a month of agent, editor, and publishing house events for writers to submit to, an excellent opportunity for all who are serious about their goals.